Freezing tray



y 5, 1932- R/H: CHILTON' 1,865,456 FREE ING T AY Filed Sept. 20,1950 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Pal wk l7- Civilian ATTORNEYS y 1932- R. H.CHILTON 1,865,456

I FREEZING TRAY Filed Sept. 20, 1930 2, Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTOR N EYSPatented July 5, 1932 v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RALPH H. CHILTON, OFDAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOB TO GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION, OF DETROIT,MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE FREEZING TRAY This invention relatesto freezing trays or containers, especially such as are adapted to'ators, and providing simple'means for removing the frozen blocks withoutany substantial melting thereof.

An object of this invention is to provid more rapid freezing than occursin the present forms of freezing trays wherein the partitions are offlexible rubber, or other non-metallic material and hence do not rapidlyconduct the heat from the water to the surrounding air. In the presentinvention the upper portions ofvthe sinuous metal 9 bands extend abovethe water level in the container and hence serve as cooling fins toconduct the heat from the water to the cold air thereabove and hencegreatly increases the rate of freezing of the-water.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawingswherein a preferred embodiment of one form of the presentinvention is clearly shown.

In the drawings: 9 Fig. 1 is a plan view of a freezing tray madeaccording to this invention.

Fig. 2 is an end view of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of arrow 2of-Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. 1

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3. r p

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

The body 10 of the container is shown in the drawings as an integrallymolded one piece flexible rubber container having a steel The closurefront 12 and the handle Applicationliled September 20, 1930. Serial No.488,225.

and is made rigid with the wire frame 11,

whereby-the entire tray may be rigidly supported from-the handle 13.This much of the structure is old andno claim thereto is made herein.

In the form shown in the drawings, the container 10 is molded with threelongitudinal pockets 15 extending the length thereof and formed by thetwo longitudinal partitions 16. These partitions 16 are shown as beingquite heavy to also serve as stiflen- 1n ribs to prevent sagging of theflexible ru%ber walls when the container is filled with water, however,in some cases partitions 16 may be substantially of the same thicknessas the outer side walls.

Nowwithin each long pocket 15 there is inserted a sinuous orreversely-looped easilyflexed metal band 20 which obviously divides upeach long pocket 15 into a series of small ice block compartments 21.The bottom loops 22 of the metal band 20 preferably rest directly uponthe floor of the pockets 15, while the upper loops 23 projectconsiderably above the normal water level in said container (as shown inFig. 3) so that they serve as cooling fins for transferring heat fromthe water to the cold air thereabove. Preferably the metal band 20 ismade from a metal having high heat conductivity to increase the rate oftransfer of heat from points below the water level to the cooling finportions of the loops, thereby greatly increasing rate of freezing ofthe water.

In operation, the tray 20 is simply filled with water to the desiredlevel and the three metal bands 20 drooped into place in the water, onein. each pocket 15. The tray is then inserted within the freezingchamber of the refrigerator until the water is frozen solid about themetal bands 20.' The ice may be removed from each long pocket 15separately by flexing the flexible rubber container 10 to free the bondof the ice thereto and then lifting the metal band 20 with the iceblocks 21 attached thereto from the pocket 15. Now by simply flexing'themetal band 20, either by bending or stretching same, the individual iceblocks will be easily loosened and will fall therefrom, or the ice.blocks may be individuan picked by hand from band 20. Andthis ispreferably accomplished by only partlally removing the band 20 and itsattached ice from the pocket 15 if only two or three ice blocks aredesired to be removed at the time. Thus, all waste and unnecessarymelting of the ice is avoided. Obviously the longitudinal partitions 16may be omitted if desired and a sinuous metal band of the full width ofthe container 10 used instead of the three narrow bands 20. This ofcourse will provide ice blocks of a length equal to the width of thecontainer 10, the removal of the ice being substantially the same asdescribed above.

The chief feature of this invention is the very simple and cheapconstruction for increasing the rapidity of freezing and at the sametime providing easy removal of the ice blocks. Obviously the metal bands20 may have the loops thereof spaced relatively closer together than asshown, thereby providing narrower ice blocks 21, for the purpose ofobtaining relatively greater fin cooling area and hence still more rapidfreezing. In fact, the

only limit to the relative fin cooling area is the desired width of theice blocks 21, and hence if there be no objection to ice blocks onlyhalf an inch wide the loops of band 20 may be spaced only about half aninch and thus provide a high rate of freezing due to the much greaterfin cooling area for the same weight of ice to be frozen.

While I have shown the sinuous metal bands 20 as having a simplesine-like curve it is obvious that the principles of this inven tion arenot limited to such particular shape of loops but that these loops maybe of any other useful shape such as may be readily devised and stillobtain the advantages of this invention. Also it is obvious that thesinuous metal bands of this invention maybe used to advantage with metalcontainers with fixed longitudinal metal partitions instead of flexiblerubber containers. In such case, the

metal 'bandsand attached ice are first re-' moved bodily from thecontainer after thawing the frozen bond between ice and container, afterwhich the ice blocks are removed from the metal bands as described indetail above.

, While the form of embodiment of the present invention as hereindisclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood thatother, forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claimswhich follow.

What is claimed is'as follows: 1. A freezing tray adapted to be insertedwithin a freezing chamber comprising: a

molded flexible rubber container having a plurality of elongated pocketstherein formed of flexible rubber, and a removable sinuous flexiblemetal band fitting within each'pocket with the edgesofsaid'band-contacting with the side walls of said pocket and forming aplurality of separate ice blocks in each pocket,

said band and associated ice blocks in each pocket being removablebodily from said container by flexing the rubber walls of said oc et. p2. A freezing tray adapted to be inserted within a freezing chamber,comprising: a flexible rubber container having a plurality of elongatedcompartments therein and a flexible metal partition having alternate reverse pockets therein fitting within each of said compartments with theedges of said partition contacting with the side walls of thecompartment and forming a plurality of individual ice pockets in eachcompartment, said partition and associated ice blocks being removablefrom said container by flexing the rubber. walls thereof. 7

3. A freezing tray ada ted to be inserted within a freezing cham er,comprising: a flexible rubber container having a flexible rubberpartition therein dividing said container into a pluralit of elongatedcompartments, and a reversel y looped flexible partition fitting withineach of said compartments with the edges of said looped partitioncontacting with the side walls of the compartment and forming aplurality of ice pockets in each compartment, said looped partitionbeing removable from said container by flexing the rubber walls of saidcontainer.

4. A freezing tray adapted to be inserted within a freezing chamber,comprising: a flexible rubber container having a flexible rubberpartition therein dividing said connature.

RALPH H. CHILTON.

